The prevalence of sexual assault at the military service academies saw its first decline in 10 years, according to the preliminary findings from the Service Academy Gender Relations Survey for academic program year 2023-24, released today. The data suggests the Defense Department’s efforts to address these issues may be gaining traction.
“As you may have seen, we are looking at some encouraging data. This year, for the first time in 10 years, the department is seeing a decrease in sexual assault prevalence at the military service academies,” said Beth Foster, executive director for the Office of Force Resiliency, at the media roundtable. “This disrupts what had been an alarming increasing trend in sexual assault at the academies.”
Over the last several years, the Defense Department has intensified its efforts to counter sexual assault, sexual harassment and other harmful behaviors within the U.S. military, including at the nation’s service academies. In August 2023, in response to the on-site installation evaluations findings at the MSAs, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III directed transformational actions for the service academies’ approach to preventing these harmful behaviors. The department emphasized that it is cautiously optimistic that its strategies and the MSAs’ leadership commitments are driving meaningful progress.
“Secretary Austin has made combating sexual assault and harassment a priority since day one on the job,” Foster said. “After the 2022 report was released showing an increase in prevalence of sexual assault, the secretary directed us to immediately do on-site installation evaluations to determine the root cause. We found it was the overall climate and training environment across the service academies that was undermining their ability to prevent these harmful behaviors.”
The initial figures released from the SAGR administered in academic year 2023-2024 indicate that estimates of unwanted sexual contact — the survey measure for sexual assault — and sexual harassment have declined at the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Air Force Academy — America’s premier military colleges. After several years of increases, the latest figures show a notable trend reversal.
The findings show that the percentage of academy women who experienced unwanted sexual contact in the past academic program year dropped to 13.3% from 21.4% two years earlier. Among academy men, the rate decreased from 4.4 % to 3.6%. The data also showed a decrease in sexual harassment prevalence, with 51% of women and 17% of men reporting such incidents — down from 63% and 20%, respectively.
This encouraging trend aligns with the decline in incidents of sexual assault across the active-duty force at large. The department’s Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military also noted declines in sexual assault prevalence for active-duty women for the first time in nearly a decade. Officials attribute these shifts to sustained emphasis on prevention and the substantial resources allocated.
“What this data tells us is that this is a difficult problem to solve, but it is not an impossible problem to solve,” Foster said. “If we continue to institutionalize the work underway and sustain our focus and commitment, we can continue to drive down the prevalence of sexual assault at our academies.”
Historically, sexual assault programs focused heavily on response — ensuring that victims who came forward received appropriate care and support. While response-oriented strategies remain crucial, leaders now recognize the need to also support efforts to preventing victimization before it occurs. The decrease in harmful behaviors found in this year’s survey results reflect the ongoing commitment by leaders across the department and at the MSAs to foster a healthier environment. However, these findings also serve as a reminder that more work remains to be done, and that achieving long-lasting change requires consistent effort and vigilance.
At the service academies, leaders have overhauled the training environment to integrate prevention into every aspect of cadet and midshipman development. For instance, some academies have moved away from traditional, hierarchical class-year systems and are weaving leadership development and character-building exercises throughout the entire curriculum. Others are enhancing the training of officers and faculty who oversee cadets, ensuring they are equipped to model and reinforce a culture of dignity and respect.
Additional changes at individual academies vary but share a common goal: creating conditions that produce leaders who value dignity and respect as core elements of mission readiness and the preservation of good order and discipline. One academy is modifying its peer leadership structures to emphasize character development and prevention. Another is reorganizing its training approach, moving away from antiquated models and aligning more closely with the operational requirements of its parent service. These adjustments help ensure cadets and midshipmen graduate as competent officers and ethical leaders who foster trust and cohesion within their units.
“By placing a professional prevention workforce at the academies, we can better understand the unique climate issues at each institution and tailor our approach to address them,” Andra Tharp, director of the Office of Command Climate and Wellbeing Integration, who also holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, explained. “This comprehensive approach allows leaders to build healthy climates and teams, which ultimately helps prevent these harmful behaviors before they occur.”
The Climate Transformation Task Force works across the military departments to implement Secretary Austin’s directives and ensure that progress aligns with the values of character and integrity these institutions strive to instill. Each academy now assesses its climate more frequently, using tools like the Defense Organizational Climate Pulse Survey. These surveys give leaders rapid feedback, helping them adjust their approaches quicker than waiting a year to identify problems.
“Given the scope of the work underway at academies and near-term implementation deadlines, we wanted to get this data in the hands of academy stakeholders as quickly as possible,” Foster said. “We believe this data indicates that we are on the right track, but unless we continue to institutionalize that work, there is a possibility that these rates and this trend could go right back up again.”
The department’s top officials emphasize that healthy command climates are not optional extras, but the foundation of a ready and capable force. Sexual assault and harassment harm team cohesion and undermine readiness. Units operating in a climate of mutual respect can better focus on their missions without the corrosive effects of mistrust and fear.
The improvements at the academies indicate that a data-driven, holistic approach can produce measurable results and demonstrate a return on investment. Department and MSA leaders are looking to replicate these successes and apply lessons learned to continue refining prevention strategies, collecting and analyzing climate data, and adapting policies to new circumstances. The department also recognizes that prevention strategies must evolve as the force changes and that ongoing research, training, and evaluation remain essential.
“If we continue this focus,” Foster concluded, “we can ensure our cadets and midshipmen are fully prepared and ready to lead amid the challenges of complex and uncertain environments.”
This Defense news article "Service Academies Report First Decline in Sexual Assault Rates in a Decade" was originally found on https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/
